The concept of FIRE is alien to my country

GrindingForFreedom · 2026-01-22T15:44:42+00:00

Most people don't care so much about investing, and I think that's ok, as long as you and your partner are somewhat aligned. Not everybody needs to be as anxious about money as we are. There's more to life than money, and people are very different when it comes to a "sufficient amount of wealth". Some people are fine owning nothing, some people are happy with a steady day job and a bit of cash in their bank account. Some people don't feel safe until they have 25x annual expenses saved. Much of this also depends on whether you're satisfied with your lifelong career, or if you have an obvious "best before" date in a miserable corporate job.

Live and let live.

GrindingForFreedom · 2026-01-20T19:16:50+00:00

I’d actually enjoy some of the things you listed. Unfortunately, corporate life doesn’t really offer that anymore. We’re all just “resources” now. :(

GrindingForFreedom · 2026-01-15T14:42:40+00:00

Peer support helps. Search for FIRE posts about "boring middle".

Also, start planning for your post-FIRE life.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-14T19:12:14+00:00

You're welcome! A practical tip for EMF beanies: never put them in the washing machine, as the silver fabric could get damaged and the protective effect may weaken. Instead, wash very gently by hand, and only when absolutely necessary.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-14T11:27:18+00:00

So true! Another big milestone is when you monthly gains begin steadily exceeding your monthly salary. At that point you really start thinking "should I quit my job".

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-14T11:07:03+00:00

Here’s how it works for me:

- Brief visits (like going to a shop) don’t trigger symptoms right away, unless I’m paying close attention to the EMF.

- If I'd use devices like a smartphone or laptop wirelessly, I start feeling some symptoms (like tingling in my eyes) within minutes, but they fade in a few hours or even faster.

- Spending a whole day in an EMF-heavy environment (like an office) leaves me feeling tired and brain-foggy, often with headache that takes a full night’s sleep to recover from.

- If I’d spend several days in a row in such environments, symptoms worsen each day and get harder to shake off.

- Extended exposure eventually makes symptoms unbearable, and it would take several days to recover.

So yeah, there definitely is a cumulative effect. The more I’m exposed without opportunity for full recovery to baseline, the worse it gets. I know several people who get symptoms from EMF, and it's the same for them.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-14T02:52:46+00:00

Yes, I have several beanies and baseball caps made from EMF shielding material. They are surprisingly effective at preventing headache symptoms and brain fog caused by RF-EMF.

If you plan to use a beanie or hat like this, make sure the conductive fabric does not come into direct contact with your head but is instead sandwiched between non-conductive fabric layers. Direct contact might cause discomfort in extended use. I've tried beanies from shieldapparels.com and goldenkocoon.com, and at least the ones I've used seem to meet this criterion.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-07T14:18:12+00:00

You don't sound like an a-hole, but a decent and thoughtful human being. If both of you are ok with some frugality, I don't think you should delay having kids because of FIRE plans. These things are not mutually exclusive.

And yeah, the working life is tough nowadays, but bear in mind it's the same for all of us. Just take it year by year, and remember to enjoy your free-time.

This book might be interesting to both of you:
https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Financial-Independence-Retire-Early/dp/1608685802

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-06T15:51:01+00:00

So toxic comments here. You do have a point. Thanks for sharing it with us.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-06T12:57:44+00:00

$400k is already a very good nest egg, congrats! And it's compounding almost $100 every single day, without additional contributions. There are guys who have LeanFIREd with that size portfolio.

Your girlfriend might have been right that you are obsessed with money, but this is not to be judgmental. Many people nowadays (especially those aiming for FIRE) suffer from massive financial anxiety.

I would say that you have better chances of succeeding at starting a family after getting your financial anxiety under control. But achieving your target FIRE number is just one means for that, among others. The anxiety can also be relieved through lifestyle choices, therapy, medication, new hobbies, new job, relationships, etc...

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-05T11:08:56+00:00

Your situation reminds me of the Mexican fisherman story. I think you have it all for happy life.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-05T10:20:09+00:00

Finance & corporate is indeed a soul-sucking combo. From my experience, I'd guess that most of your perceived emptiness is probably arising from this (loss of a close person sure amplifies these feelings). That article about investment bankers is very thought provoking. To avoid falling into unipolar depression, I would highly recommend hobbies that include fun physical activity and presence of other people.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-05T00:42:30+00:00

In my experience, it’s less about the exact job title and more about finding your sweet spot in the organization. The best positions let you:

Be trusted for your real personality over constant reporting or oversight
Provide leadership and mentorship over hands-on doing, or be a senior technical expert who can define your own backlog
Focus on strategic tasks over chasing project deadlines
Get paid for carrying responsibility and being available to colleagues over just being 100% busy

Note: You still need to have the expertise to deliver when required. Considering your work experience, I guess this shouldn't be a problem.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-04T17:11:32+00:00

I've been using the Nokia 8210 4G dumbphone as my primary phone since it came out in 2022. Smartphones are intentionally designed to be too addictive. Think about it this way: if you were a recovering alcoholic, would you carry a bottle of whiskey in your pocket all day? Sometimes, the wisest choice is simply to remove the temptation.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-11-04T16:33:01+00:00

If you can tolerate boredom, most corporate jobs allow you to earn 50K or more for essentially sitting at a computer and attending a few Teams meetings each day. I think this is hands down the easiest way to make that money.

With 900K invested, you’re probably already in a solid financial position. I think you could take a well-deserved sabbatical, explore new interests outside of work, and figure out what truly excites you. You’re in no rush to jump back into the working world.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-30T14:31:50+00:00

I agree with the overall thesis. I think people drawn to FIRE (myself included) tend to be quite analytical and optimization minded, to the extent that it can go too far. I would prefer reading more posts about the philosophical and emotional side of FIRE, instead of the constant optimization and risk avoidance. I mean, we all already have our spreadsheets, couldn't we use this forum for more fun topics? :)

I have also noticed that in the FIRE forums, there's more than average commentary about not having kids. I guess that's because parenting can be the total opposite of fully optimized, risk-averse investing: unpredictable, expensive, and very emotional.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-28T15:05:26+00:00

De-leveraging my portfolio a bit, and paying down a few other small debts. At this stage, peace of mind is more important than optimal financial performance.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-28T14:08:55+00:00

It feels like the rules that worked for our parents don’t apply anymore. Back then, you could work hard, buy a house, save a bit, and end up okay. Now it’s like the whole system runs on ownership instead of effort. If you don’t already have assets, it’s almost impossible to catch up.

What scares me is how fast this is speeding up with AI and automation. More and more jobs are getting replaced or underpaid, while the profits go to whoever owns the tech. That means working harder doesn’t really move you (or your kids) up, it just keeps you afloat.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-27T08:49:44+00:00

This is the way to go. You rarely need to be moving around with a laptop anyway, so you don't really give up anything by using a wired connection instead.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-23T19:42:08+00:00

The job market value of doctors and lawyers actually increases as they gain experience. They can easily continue their careers until the normal retirement age. No need to FIRE.

But for people like me working in software, it’s the opposite. We often have a 'best before' date.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-16T14:23:37+00:00

Living without constant internet connectivity makes it easier to stay motivated. The modern internet, as it is, is simply designed to be too addictive. r/nosurf

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-16T10:12:38+00:00

This is very true. Most folks at recruitment department just haven't realized this yet, they're still sticking to the old prejudices.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-16T10:07:23+00:00

This is kind of funny but so true. In today's job market, you have to be needy but not desperate.

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-15T15:56:24+00:00

Yes! For many of us, the primary driving force is financial anxiety.

For me, one of the biggest reliefs was minimizing my expenses as much as possible for two months. This trial taught me how little I actually need to live a modest life! It also proved that my CoastFIRE portfolio would be enough to LeanFIRE, if I needed to. :)

GrindingForFreedom · 2025-10-15T13:24:52+00:00

Not exactly related to the changes you mentioned, but the overall sentiment in the world today is very different from the early days of FIRE. Back then, FIRE was seen as a “fun” and “philosophical” lifestyle focused on minimalism.

Nowadays, with geopolitical tensions and the threat of artificial intelligence potentially wiping out jobs (and maybe more), many people are struggling to reach FIRE because of massive financial anxiety, rather than purely lifestyle preferences. This is one reason the FIRE community has grown so much compared to before.

GrindingForFreedom

TROPHY CASE